This present invention relates to a ultrasonic nailing and drilling apparatus for nailing and drilling. More particularly, this present invention relates to toward a highly efficient and effective ultrasonic nailing and drilling for various precision use, such as medical or dental surgery. However, although the present invention is specially adapted as a medical device, but its application is not limited to the medical field.
Surgical procedures involving the use of an ultrasonic probe for removing tissue are well known. Various ultrasonic probes having operative tips that are caused to vibrate at frequencies between about 30,000 Hz and 60,000 Hz with a stroke of about 20 .mu.m to 150 .mu.m are applied depending on its usage for industrial or medical purpose.
For conventional drilling method, material and drill bits are stuck with each other thereby resulting in more friction. In addition, their effectiveness and efficiency has yet to be improved. That is, it is necessary for a drilling machine to generate a lower speed at high torques but torque versus speed characteristics in known electrical motors do not meet the requirements for such precision works.
When a drilling bit is turned (resonated) by ultrasonic wave and rotated by a power train such as motor, it will be more effective. The drill bit is almost floated from material (not stuck with each other) because of its rotational speed and longitudinal amplitude (stroke) both of which can be adjusted to each other so as to create the best efficiency. Moreover, certain drilling bits can be nails. When it is fully plugged into a material, it also can be removed by a machine tool due to reversed rotation. In addition, it can be used as anchor preparation. It can drill a small hole where anchor can be nailed tightly into a bone or other material.
Similarly, in ultrasonic drilling, although the drilling was useful to drill into hard materials, such as boron carbide, glass, titanium carbide, steel, bone, and the like, the drill itself was limited to chipping away the surface with a tubular drill bit. However, it has been very impractical to drill a deep hole, even with the diamond tipped drill bit, as the material became harder and as the chipped away materials were trapped within the hollow bit.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a ultrasonic nailing and drilling apparatus that not only impart vertical impact on the material, but also a rotational force simultaneously upon the material through the bit.
Also, it is another object of the invention to rapidly drill holes or nail into hard surfaces without undue mechanical or thermal stress to the bit or the material. Moreover, it is an object of this invention to be able to use various nails and drilling bits, including drilling bits similar to conventional drill bits.
It is also another object of the invention to make the use of the present invention simple and the device small enough to be held in a single hand of the user. Moreover, it is also desired that bits can be easily changed without much downtime or difficulties.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description that follow, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.